Laminated webs may be made from a variety of materials for a variety of applications. When one of the layers of laminate is a fibrous web to which a synthetic sheet or film is to be attached, conventional practice is to first prepare the fibrous web and then apply the synthetic sheet or film to the web. Accordingly, the layers of the laminate are made separately and then combined in a separate lamination step.
The use of separate forming and lamination steps for laminating synthetic sheets or films to fibrous webs requires separate equipment to store and handle each component. These separate steps add to the cost and complexity of the process.
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a method for making a laminate comprising a synthetic sheet or film and a fibrous web.
Another object of the invention is to provide a lamination method of the character described which is carried out during formation of the web.
A further object of the invention is to reduce the number of process steps and the time required to form a laminated fibrous web.
An additional object of the invention is to provide a lamination method of the character described which enables simplified, high speed production of laminated fibrous webs.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a laminating method of the character described which is versatile and enables production of laminates with a desirable range of aesthetic and functional characteristics.